Mail Online

Police to re-interview SNP off icials over ‘what Nicola knew about party funds’

By Georgia Edkins SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR

DETECTIVES probing the SNP’s finances will interview key witnesses again in a bid to ascertain how much Nicola Sturgeon knew about the party’s accounts.

Officers will speak to a number of the party’s former top brass to establish exactly how involved the former First Minister was with the SNP’s finances.

In particular, they will talk to former members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) about bombshell video of Ms Sturgeon during a meeting of the ruling body in March 2021.

The leaked video shows a confrontational Ms Sturgeon tell party officials the SNP’s finances had ‘never been stronger’, suggesting that she had knowledge of them.

It is the latest twist in the police probe into £600,000 of ‘missing’ money. Officers have seized a £110,000 luxury motorhome and are looking into transactions relating to

‘We have never been in a stronger financial position’

jewellery and gifts. Two senior Nationalist figures have been arrested as part of the investigation – Ms Sturgeon’s husband and former party chief executive Peter Murrell, and former treasurer Colin Beattie.

Both men were released without charge, pending further inquiries.

Now a senior source close to the investigation has said that former NEC members are being called back in to speak to police about the 2021 footage.

In the video, Ms Sturgeon lashes out after three members of her finance and audit committee resigned in protest because they were refused access to the books.

She said: ‘The party has never been in a stronger financial position than it is right now.

‘I’m not going to get into the details... but, you know, just be very careful about suggestions that there are problems with the party’s finances, because we depend on donors to donate. There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party’s finances.

‘All of us need to be careful about not suggesting that there is.

‘We’ve got to be careful we don’t reap what we sow, if we have leaks from this body it limits the ability for open, free and frank discussion.’

The video was released at the same time as new allegations suggested that Ms Sturgeon refused to open up the SNP’s finances to more scrutiny and denied the party was facing a cash crisis.

She is also said to have scuppered efforts from party officials to hire a fundraising manager to provide oversight of donations. Detectives were passed emails from June 2021 indicating Ms Sturgeon was involved in rejecting the idea.

Douglas Chapman, who was SNP treasurer at the time, had suggested the appointment, backed by Mr Beattie.

The emails, which are notes from an SNP governance review group, said: ‘CB can see benefits of a fundraising manager. KB [deputy leader Keith Brown] mentioned this was declined by NS.’ In another email on June 28, 2021, Mr Brown said he had shared details about the proposal rejection ‘in confidence’ and requested that the member of the review group who received the email did not tell anyone else.

The police probe is focused on how money raised in 2017 and 2019 as part of a ‘referendum appeal’ has been spent. Concerns were first raised when SNP accounts showed there was less than £100,000 in the bank at the end of 2019, despite £600,000 being raised from the referendum appeals, sparking 19 complaints.

After police began investigating, Mr Murrell – who was chief executive for 24 years – loaned the party £107,620, which he claimed was to assist with ‘cash flow’.

Ms Sturgeon has continued to distance herself from the police probe, claiming the loan was Mr Murrell’s to make and he was entitled to help the party he supports.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: ‘As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further.’

An SNP spokesman said: ‘The SNP has been cooperating fully and will continue to do so. However, it is not appropriate to publicly address these issues at this time.’

POLICE PROBING SNP FRAUD SEIZE £110K MOTORHOME

Snp Fraud Probe

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